Cessna 140 accident near Scottsbluff, Nebraska, February 20, 1983
On February 20, 1983 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N1798V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Scottsbluff, Nebraska (Scottsbluff airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 20, 1983 · about 10:30 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Scottsbluff, Nebraska · Scottsbluff · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N1798V · registry record · serial 13983
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT MADE A HARD LANDING WHILE LANDING AT SCOTTSBLUFF NE DURING A PLEASURE FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 30 WITH THE WIND FROM 350 DEGREES AT 8 KTS. A WITNESS SAID THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED 2 TIMES BEFORE GROUNDLOOPING OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT SAID HE LANDED IN A 3 POINT ATTITUDE AND THE WIND PICKED THE AIRCRAFT UP. HE SAID APPLICATION OF POWER AND LOWERING THE NOSE DID NOT PREVENT THE AIRCRAFT FROM IMPACTING THE RUNWAY A 2ND TIME. HE SAID THE AIRCRAFT NOSE WAS ABOUT 15 DEGREES OFF RUNWAY ALIGNMENT WHEN IT IMPACTED THE RUNWAY AND GROUNDLOOPED TO THE LEFT. THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR BROKE OFF DURING THE SWERVE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 137 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 81 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,394 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 4, 1983; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 8,280 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:37 pm from BLL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1798V on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 140 1,839 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,676 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 82 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Scottsbluff/Western Nebraska Rgnl/Wm B Heilig Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Nebraska 763 since 1982 · 108 in the last ten years
- Nebraska 2,950 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MKC83LA070.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.